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British Bookmakers Set to Make Record Contribution for Rights to Show Horse Racing

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British bookmakers are on track to make a record contribution to horse racing next year – with the bill for media rights forecast to increase by nearly £30m.

The Betting and Gaming Council’s five biggest members for horse race betting, Entain, Flutter, bet365, 888/William Hill and Betfred, expect to see a record cost increase to broadcast races.

In 2022, BGC members paid £270.1m for the rights to live stream races for customers and show them in bookmakers.

But that cost is forecast to rise to £285.3m this year, an increase of 5.6%, with members estimating a further increase to £315.2m in 2024, a further bump of 10.5%.

The combined increase for media rights costs is now expected to rise by 16.7% between 2022 and 2024.

The figures are based on data supplied by the Betting and Gaming Council’s five biggest members for horse race betting, then adjusted to include smaller operators, who must also pay for media rights.

Michael Dugher, CEO of Betting and Gaming Council, said: “BGC members are already making a record contribution to horse racing and these figures show that is only going to increase.

“This comes despite a reduction in betting turnover on racing in the last five years and a worrying decline in participation in horse race betting overall.

“Horse racing remains a hugely important, world-leading sport, enjoyed by millions of fans and like the betting industry it continues to support large numbers of jobs.

“I know racing is trying to modernise and reach out to new fans, while also trying to bounce back from the Covid pandemic and deal with some difficult economic headwinds, plus deal with the hit on its funding caused by the Government. The betting industry is dealing with many of the same pressures on our revenues and costs.

“The BGC and our members remain fully committed to working together with the leadership of the sport, including the BHA and others, to ensure a better future for racing. But the fact that we are making a record and growing contribution to the sport cannot be ignored.”

The forecast costs come after the BGC announced their members directly contributed £384m to British horse racing last year in levy, media rights and sponsorship deals.

These figures showed an increase on previous estimates for the regulated sector’s contribution, which had placed it at around £350m a year.

In addition, bookmakers spent £125m on marketing to promote racing and betting through advertisements and partnerships, which helps secure vital terrestrial coverage of the sport and raise revenue for print newspaper titles.

As well as the increased costs for media rights, levy payments are projected to be £99m in 2022/2023, according to the Horserace Betting Levy Board.

This record investment also enabled horse racing to use some of these revenues to deliver record prize money of £179.3m in 2022.

Horse racing is the second biggest sport in the UK, second only to football, with more than five million people attending around 1400 fixtures annually across 59 racecourses.

However, its popularity is in decline. In 2007, 17% of the population participated in horse race betting in the previous year, but that fell to 10% in 2018.

Meanwhile football overtook horse racing betting around the same time between 2017/2018.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has committed to reviewing the Horseracing Levy by next year.

The Horseracing Levy, which is administered by the Horserace Betting Levy Board, goes towards improving the sport, breeding and boosting veterinary care.

Betting operators are working closely with the British Horseracing Authority and racing stakeholders on much needed reforms to the fixture list and race programme which should increase commercial returns from the levy and media rights.

The regulated betting industry fully supports this once-in-a-generation opportunity to modernise horse racing so it can realise its full commercial potential.

The BGC is also working closely with the government on the proposed reforms from the White Paper to ensure those who enjoy betting can continue to do so without unnecessary intrusion, while introducing improved safeguards for the minority who struggle.

Betting shops currently support around 42,000 jobs, contribute £1bn a year in tax to the Treasury and another £60m in business rates to local councils.

The wider regulated betting and gaming industry contributes £7.1bn to the economy, generates £4.2bn in tax and supports 110,000 jobs.

In April DCMS unveiled the Government’s new White Paper on gambling reform, including a number of key measures the BGC had campaigned for.

Those included a new mandatory Ombudsman for the regulated sector, enhanced spending checks online and a new mandatory levy to fund research, education and treatment to tackle gambling related harm and problem gambling.

Each month in Great Britain around 22.5m adults have a bet and the most recent Health Survey for England estimated that 0.4% of the adult population are problem gamblers.

Meanwhile the unsafe, unregulated gambling black market online is growing in the UK, with the numbers betting on these sites doubling in recent years, and the amount staked in the billions.

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PG Soft appoints Hugo Baungartner as General Manager LatAm

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Veteran executive tasked with expanding PG Soft across Latin America and leading strategy in Brazil as regulation evolves.

PG Soft has appointed Hugo Baungartner as General Manager LatAm, handing him responsibility for the supplier’s commercial expansion across Latin America and its strategy in Brazil.

The company said Baungartner will focus on growing the business in Brazil, where PG Soft says it has already captured a “significant share of the market,” while building presence across regulated markets in the wider region.

Baungartner brings more than 29 years of experience across technology and gaming. He has held leadership roles at Grupo Aposta Ganha, RCT Gaming, Prohards and most recently Esportes Gaming Brasil, according to the company.

PG Soft also pointed to Baungartner’s network across Latin America’s regulatory landscape, including relationships with Brazil’s Secretariat of Prizes and Betting (SPA/MF), the Federal Revenue Service, and COAF, as well as Mexico’s Dirección General de Juegos y Sorteos and AIEJA (the Mexican Gaming Association).

Hugo Baungartner, General Manager LatAm at PG Soft, commented: “PG Soft’s brand needs no introduction in Latin America thanks to its extensive portfolio of world-class, mobile-first games that resonate strongly with players. The company is only just getting started in the region, and I look forward to building on its success in Brazil while expanding PG Soft’s presence across regulated markets throughout Latin America.”

The post PG Soft appoints Hugo Baungartner as General Manager LatAm appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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BetOnGames launches Tokyo Skyline Run crash game with 97.5% RTP

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BetOnGames, the instant games vertical of the BETCORE ecosystem, has launched Tokyo Skyline Run, a new crash game aimed at iGaming operators. The company said the mobile-first title ships with a 97.5% RTP and is built around short, fast rounds.

Tokyo Skyline Run is set across a neon Tokyo rooftop backdrop and uses a rising multiplier mechanic. Each round centers on a simple cash-out decision: players start the run, track the multiplier as it climbs, and choose when to cash out before a failure ends the round.

BetOnGames positions the release as a thematic extension to its crash portfolio, using anime-inspired character design and visuals including a neon city atmosphere and cherry blossom elements.

The company said the game is designed for “fast player engagement” and for operators seeking more variety in instant games, particularly for audiences that prefer short sessions and high-tempo gameplay.

The post BetOnGames launches Tokyo Skyline Run crash game with 97.5% RTP appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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Vegangster Integrates ZingBrain AI for Smart Game Recommendations Across Operator Lobbies

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Vegangster has integrated ZingBrain AI‘s smart lobby personalisation into its platform, adding a new layer of game discovery for players across Vegangster-powered brands.

Casino lobbies now feature AI-driven recommendation sections tailored to each player’s preferences, much like those on Spotify or Netflix. Players see personalised rows such as “Picked for You”, “Because You Like…” and “Try Other Games With Similar Mechanics”, which point them to relevant titles. These recommendations can also be presented directly in Vegangster’s own Scroll & Play feed, giving each player a personalised discovery experience in a well-known format.

According to ZingBrain AI’s published results, smart lobby personalisation delivers a 5–15% uplift in GGR and turnover, 10–15% more games played, and a 5–10% increase in player active days, while cutting time spent on lobby management by 80%.

Michael Oziransky, Chief Product Officer at Vegangster, commented:
“ZingBrain works hand in hand with our own Scroll & Play feed: the engine decides which games are right for each player, and Scroll & Play puts them in front of them as gameplay clips they can watch and jump straight into.”

In practice, this changes how the lobby works for both sides. A player who keeps coming back to crash games sees fresh titles with similar mechanics instead of the same generic top grid, and players returning after a break land in a lobby built around what they already love. Operators, meanwhile, stop curating lobby positions by hand: a new game release reaches the players most likely to enjoy it from day one, without competing for a banner slot.

Another application of the engine is provider cost optimisation. Operators set priority levels for individual providers and games based on deals, campaigns, or new launches, and ZingBrain applies those priorities to personalised recommendations. In A/B tests across four brands, this redirected up to 20% of turnover and GGR to more profitable titles, with no drop in player performance.

The integration is now available to all Vegangster operator clients.

About Vegangster
Vegangster provides a full iGaming platform built for speed, scale, and operator control. Its turnkey, white-label, and sweepstakes solutions bring casino and sportsbook content, payments, CRM, compliance, and social features together in one mobile-first system. With Vegangster, operators can launch quickly and grow with confidence.

About ZingBrain AI
ZingBrain AI is an easy-to-integrate AI performance platform for the iGaming industry, providing smart lobby personalisation, player analytics, and churn and GGR predictions for online casinos and sportsbooks. The company is ISO 27001 certified and works with 60 live brands worldwide.

The post Vegangster Integrates ZingBrain AI for Smart Game Recommendations Across Operator Lobbies appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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